F0697

G

Failure to Assess and Manage Pain After Unwitnessed Fall Leading to Delayed Fracture Diagnosis

Ash, North Carolina Survey Completed on 04-09-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to provide safe, appropriate pain management and assessment for a severely cognitively impaired resident following an unwitnessed fall and subsequent onset of significant hip pain. The resident had a history of right femur fracture, osteoporosis, and dementia, and was admitted with an order for PRN acetaminophen 650 mg for unspecified pain. Prior to the incident, the resident required limited assistance with transfers, bed mobility, and toileting, used a wheelchair, and only occasionally had pain that rarely interfered with activities. On the date of the unwitnessed fall, there was no nursing progress note, no documentation of a fall, no assessment of the left lower extremity, and no assessment of changes in transfer, ambulation, or mobility, despite the nurse on duty documenting a pain level of 0. The nurse later stated he did not assess the resident for pain or range of motion and acknowledged the resident was cognitively impaired and had an impaired ability to request pain medication.

Over the following days, multiple staff observed or were informed of the resident’s significant pain and changes in mobility, but assessments, documentation, communication, and pain management remained inadequate. During the night after the fall, another nurse documented that the resident was having “a lot of pain in her hip” and placed a note in the doctor’s book, but did not document a pain or head-to-toe assessment, did not administer PRN acetaminophen, and nevertheless recorded a pain score of 0 on the MAR. Nurse aides reported that the resident was screaming, crying, yelling out with transfers, unable to ambulate as before, and required care in bed due to pain with movement. One nurse documented, as a late entry, that the resident reported she had fallen the previous day and was screaming in pain when moved; this nurse contacted the NP, who stated the resident complained of pain all the time and instructed staff to give PRN acetaminophen and indicated he would evaluate the resident the next day. The late entry note did not document a pain level, a lower extremity assessment, or that the unwitnessed fall was communicated to the NP. The MAR showed PRN acetaminophen was given once and marked only as “slightly effective,” with no numerical pain monitoring, while pain scores of 0 continued to be documented on subsequent shifts despite ongoing pain behaviors.

When the NP evaluated the resident, the chief complaint was hip pain, and nursing staff had reported that the resident was having pain. The NP documented that the resident was oriented to person only, had dementia and anxiety, appeared sleepy and groggy, and had non‑specific pain. The NP’s assessment did not include an examination of the lower extremities, and the plan was to treat presumed nerve and hip pain with PRN acetaminophen and to educate the resident to request pain medication, despite her severe cognitive impairment and inability to reliably rate or request pain. The NP later stated he was unaware of the fall and that, had he known, he would have ordered x‑rays immediately, and acknowledged that new onset severe pain should prompt imaging. Over the next several days, aides continued to observe the resident’s pain with transfers, ambulation, and repositioning, including wincing, grimacing, holding her hip, and needing increased assistance, but some aides did not report these findings to nurses, assuming the nurses were already aware. Nursing documentation remained sparse, with no progress notes on some days, inconsistent pain scores, limited use of PRN analgesics, and no thorough pain or mobility assessments recorded.

Eventually, a nursing supervisor documented that the resident appeared to be in discomfort and verbalized hip pain, and mobile x‑rays were ordered. The progress note did not include a pain level or a detailed assessment of the left lower extremity. The x‑ray, completed days after the onset of severe pain, showed an acute displaced left femoral neck fracture. The following day, a nurse documented the x‑ray results and arranged for the resident’s transfer to the emergency department. At the hospital, the resident reported hip pain and was treated with IV hydromorphone, cyclobenzaprine, and acetaminophen, and underwent a left hip hemiarthroplasty without complications before returning to the facility. Throughout the period from the unwitnessed fall to the diagnosis of the fracture, the facility failed to ensure timely and thorough pain assessment, accurate pain documentation, effective communication of the fall and subsequent changes in condition to the NP and physician, and appropriate pain management for a resident who was unable to verbalize or request pain medication due to severe cognitive impairment. The DON stated that her expectation was that residents with pain would be thoroughly assessed regardless of cognitive status, that staff would monitor for pain and report increased pain or changes in condition to the physician, and that this resident was unable to rate or request pain and should have been assessed using non‑verbal indicators and provided pain medication as needed.